Daily Brief | April 21

Good morning, Alexandria. It's Tuesday, April 21 — the 111th day of 2026, with 254 days left in the year.

It's Election Day. Polls opened at 6 a.m. and close at 7 p.m. On the ballot: a City Council seat and a statewide redistricting referendum that could reshape Virginia's congressional map. More than 22,000 have already voted. Find your polling place at vote.elections.virginia.gov.

Due to the election, today is a non-school day for ACPS students.

Last night, flooding dominated Metro's public hearing on its proposal to close the Braddock Road station's Kiss & Ride lot and redevelop the site. About 35 residents packed Charles Houston Rec Center; multiple speakers warned the agency not to add density until chronic drainage issues are addressed.

Tonight, council holds its preliminary add/delete work session at 7 p.m. — the first formal budget decisions of the season after Saturday's five-hour public hearing. The proposed $200,000 cut to the Sheriff's Office drew the most heated testimony.

Enjoy today's election. The next one is August 4 — just 105 days away. Democracy never sleeps.

~ Ryan

1️⃣ Alexandria heads into Election Day with more than 22,800 early votes already cast

ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA - NOVEMBER 04: Voters cast their ballots at a polling station on November 4, 2025, in Alexandria, Virginia. Virginians hit the polls on Election Day to pick their next governor. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Early voting is over. Election Day is here. And Alexandria is heading into today's special election having already seen strong early turnout for a contest with two very different races on the ballot.

According to the city's election dashboard, updated through Sunday, 22,892 Alexandrians cast ballots during the early voting period — 16,163 in person and 6,729 by mail. That represents roughly 22.3% of the city's active registered voters. An additional 3,193 mail-in ballots have been sent out but not yet returned — those must be postmarked by today and received by the Office of Voter Registration by noon Friday, April 24, to be counted.

Three candidates are competing for the city council seat: Democratic nominee Sandy Marks and independents Frank Fannon and Alison Virginia O'Connell. There is no Republican in the race. The earliest the winner will join the City Council is May 2; they will serve through Dec. 31, 2027.

While Alexandria's city council contest has driven local interest, there is also a redistricting referendum on today's ballot that would give the Democratic-majority General Assembly temporary power to redraw Virginia's 11 congressional districts ahead of November's midterm elections.

Polls are open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. Find your polling place here.

Virginia voters deciding on redistricting plan that could boost Democrats' seats in Congress | AP Decision Notes: What to expect in Virginia's special election on redistricting | 10 questions and answers about Virginia’s redistricting referendum

2️⃣ Flooding dominates public hearing on Braddock Road Metro redevelopment

Concerns about chronic flooding dominated Monday's public hearing on Metro's proposal to close the Braddock Road station's Kiss & Ride lot and reconfigure its bus loop to enable joint development, with multiple speakers warning the agency not to add density to the area until a longstanding drainage problem is resolved.

About 35 residents packed into Charles Houston Recreation Center, where Alexandria City Councilman Canek Aguirre — who also serves as an alternate Metro board director — presided over the hearing. Andrew McCray, project manager in WMATA's Office of Real Estate and Development, walked the room through the proposal. Councilmen Abdel Elnoubi and John Chapman were in the audience; Chapman was one of ten speakers who took the mic.

3️⃣ Alexandria City Council takes up budget add/delete decisions tonight

Alexandria City Council is scheduled to adopt the FY27 Budget on April 29. (City of Alexandria)

Alexandria City Council will hold its preliminary add/delete work session this evening, marking the first time this budget season that council members will make actual decisions on proposed changes to City Manager James Parajon's $977.3 million fiscal year 2027 budget.

Saturday's public hearing was testimony only — no decisions were made. Tonight is where council begins to signal which proposals survive. Items expected to come up include all 11 council member add/delete proposals submitted ahead of the April 9 deadline, the proposed expansion of metered parking to Sundays, the proposed 5-cent increase to the BPOL financial services tax rate, parking citation fee increases, the stormwater utility fee increase, and the real estate tax rate.

The session runs from 7 to 9 p.m. at Del Pepper Community Resource Center.

4️⃣ VRE to hold virtual meeting on Alexandria Union Station construction impacts

Virginia Railway Express will host a virtual community information session tonight to brief Alexandria residents on construction activity tied to improvements at Alexandria Union Station and the replacement of the adjacent King & Commonwealth bridges.

VRE — working in partnership with the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and the city of Alexandria — says limited weekend construction work, including noise and single-block road closures at King Street and Commonwealth Avenue, has been scheduled across three windows this spring and early summer: May 1–4, May 15–18, and May 29–June 1.

📰 In brief

A pedestrian was killed Monday evening in a crash at the intersection of N. St. Asaph Street and Montgomery Street, the Alexandria Police Department said. (Read more)

Drivers along Duke Street should expect brief signal flashes and possible delays this week as city crews install new adaptive traffic signal cabinets at two of the corridor's busiest intersections. (Read more)

The PNC Alexandria Half returns to the streets of Old Town on Sunday, sending half-marathon and 5K runners off at 7 a.m. from the intersection of Fairfax and Wythe streets, across from Oronoco Bay Park. (Read more)

U.S. authorities “got the wrong man” when they charged an alleged Islamic State militant in a deadly suicide bombing at a Kabul airport during the American military’s chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, a defense attorney said Monday at the start of the man's trial in Alexandria. (Read more)

The 3rd Annual Banned Book Speakeasy opens today at The Study at Morrison House. It runs through Saturday. (Read more)

Sen. Mark R. Warner and Lisa Collis announced the death of their 36-year-old daughter, Madison, in a statement on Monday. (Sen. Mark Warner)

Hoar Construction announced Monday the completion of construction on CityHouse Old Town for American Real Estate Partners. CityHouse Old Town is a seven-story, office-to-residential conversion project on King Street. (citybiz)

🗞️ Region

The Justice Department filed a complaint Monday in federal court against the city of Washington, D.C., and its water and sewer authority, seeking financial penalties for their role in a leak that led to millions of gallons of raw sewage spilling into the Potomac River. (Read more)

Eight months after President Donald Trump declared a crime emergency in the nation's capital and called up the National Guard, more than 2,500 troops remain, in a deployment that has grown increasingly routine, with no clear end in sight. (Read more)

🏀 Sports

Matt Olson had three RBIs, Bryce Elder struck out six in 6 2/3 innings and the Atlanta Braves won their sixth straight game with a 9-4 victory over the Washington Nationals on Monday night. (Read more)

The Capitals have said repeatedly they aren't going to pressure their 40-year-old captain or rush him, but they obviously have to think ahead and consider a lot of different scenarios. (Read more)

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Today in Alexandria

⛅ Weather

Freeze Warning in effect until 10 a.m. | Sunny, with a high near 62 degrees. Calm wind becoming south 5 to 7 mph in the afternoon. Increasing clouds tonight, with a low around 50 degrees. South wind 7 to 9 mph.

🌖 Sun, Moon, & Tide

Sunrise at 6:22 a.m., sunset at 7:50 p.m. 13 hours & 28 minutes of sun. High tide at 11:54 a.m. Low tide at 6:06 a.m. & 7:11 p.m. The moon phase is a Waxing Crescent.

🗓️ Things To Do

6 a.m. to 7 p.m.: Polls open for Special Election across Alexandria
5 p.m.: Banned Book Speakeasy at The Study at Morrison House
7 p.m.: Beer Yoga at Port City Brewing Company
7 p.m.: Sweet & Salty Book Club Meetings at Hotel Heron

🎶 Entertainment

219 Restaurant: Justin Gillen at 9 p.m.
Atlas Brew Works ALX: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Cooper Mill: Music Bingo at 6 p.m.
Laporta’s Restaurant: Antonio James at 6 p.m.
Lena’s Wood-Fired Pizza & Tap: Scott Kurt at 6 p.m.
Lost Dog Cafe: Trivia at 7 p.m.
Murphy’s Grand Irish Pub: Pete Baker at 8:30 p.m.
O’Shaughnessy’s Pub: Trivia at 9 p.m.
Rock It Grill: Karaoke at 9:30 p.m.
The Commodore: Trivia at 7 p.m.
The Garden Del Ray: Trivia at 7 p.m.

🏛️ City of Alexandria

7:30 a.m.: Waterfront Commission Meeting
6 p.m.: AlexRenew Regular Board of Directors Meeting
7 p.m.: FY2027 Budget Work Session #7 — Preliminary Add/Delete
7 p.m.: Commission for the Arts
7 p.m.: Human Rights Commission
7 p.m.: Personal Finance and Career Building Workshops (virtual)
7 p.m.: VRE Station Improvements Community Info Session (virtual)
7 p.m.: Historic Alexandria Resources Commission
(Full details and calendar)

📚 Alexandria Library

9 a.m.: Exhibit: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka at Local History/Special Collections
10:15 a.m.: Family Storytime at Burke Branch Library
10:30 a.m.: Bilingual Storytime at Barrett Branch Library
11 a.m.: Playtime! at Beatley Central Library
11 a.m.: Baby and Toddler Time at Barrett Branch Library
2 p.m.: Baby and Toddler Play Date at Burke Branch Library
4 p.m.: Passport to American History with Molly McIntire at Beatley Central Library
4:30 p.m.: Financial Literacy for Teens at Burke Branch Library
6 p.m.: Death Café at Barrett Branch Library
6 p.m.: Banned Book Club at Beatley Central Library
(Full details and calendar)

🏫 Alexandria City Public Schools

All Day: Student Holiday/Teacher Work Day
3:30 p.m.: Virtual Job Fair Series: Elementary
(Full details and calendar)

ACHS Titans Sports

4 p.m.: Tennis vs. South County — Girls Varsity at ACHS, Boys Varsity at South County
5 p.m.: Outdoor Track Quad (Varsity & JV) at West Springfield High School
6 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.: Girls Lacrosse vs. Washington-Liberty at Washington-Liberty (JV at 6, Varsity at 7:30)
6:30 p.m.: Baseball vs. South County — Varsity at South County, JV at Frank Mann Field
6:30 p.m.: Softball vs. South County — Varsity at South County, JV at Witter Field
(Full details and calendar)

📜 On this day in Alexandria history

"On April 21, 1893, Alexandrians were saddened to learn of the death the evening before of George Carroll, a well-known and affable African American who had served in the Union Army during the Civil War. Before the war, Carroll had served as a slave in the home of Josiah H. Davis and as a boy, had worked at the old plaster mill on the waterfront between Prince and Duke Streets. He was described as a sort of sui generis, a one-of-a-kind individual who walked about the City in singular fashion, wearing a battered stovepipe hat pulled down over one eye, with hands in pockets.Carroll was a member of Alexandria’s Sumner Post, Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization of nearly 400,000 Union Army veterans by 1890, which advocated for pensions for veterans, voting rights for black veterans and advancement of advocacy groups in American politics. Carroll was buried in the Soldier’s Cemetery with Father Kenefick of St. Mary’s R.C. Church officiating, and members of the Sumner Post GAR committing his body to the grave". ~ via Historic Alexandria